Love at First Fight
by Rena.Kat.11
Summary: Kenichi sees Miu everyday since they ran into each other. She's beautiful, smart, strong, and honestly nice. So why does he forget she exist when he sees a flash of blue hair? *Warning: Major Fluff Alert, Rated M for later content*
1. Chapter 1

**Love at First Fight: Ch 1**

** A/N: This is my first time writing anything and actually posting it, so if you review, please be gentle. This first chapter mostly sticks to the original plot (I've only watched the anime), but I promise it gets more original later on. I do not own Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, or any of the characters. If I did, Kenichi would be gay and kicking ass at his boyfriend's side. I also do not own Bambi, this is a Disney reference. Don't get it? Read to find out what the connection is! :D**

**P.S. The line below means there's been a point of view change. I'll try my best to make it clear who's POV it is. .**

**...0.0.0**

The bell rang for the end of lunch, and students settled into their desk, completely immersed in their everyday lives._ "I used to be like them... my nose in a book, oblivious to what was going on around me. Who knew getting thrown by a cute girl would change everything so much? Ever sense then, I've gone from being a weak-kneed book worm, to being trained to death by certified madmen!" _Kenichi sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his desk in a make-shift pillow. _"But... even if I could back out now, I don't think I would. For the first time ever, I can defend myself and the people I care about. Not to mention I have a really... interesting group of friends. The Masters are the best I ever could hope to have to guide me. And maybe I'll finally get a girlfriend."_

He stole a glance over his shoulder at Miu. She really was Miss Perfect. She could easily beat him in a fight, had the body of a goddess, and succeeded at everything she did. Add that to the heart-wrenching background story she had, and she was so perfect, it was like she was some anime heroine._ "Yeah... So why is it that I don't drool over her? Every other guy at the school probably has a shrine of her in their closet... god my thoughts are really strange today. But I guess the guys at the dojo are rubbing off on me!"_ The disciple bit back a hysterical laugh, he hoped he wasn't that crazy... But Kenichi was brought back to reality at the sound of his history sensei clearing her throat.

"Kenichi, maybe you should stop day dreaming and open your book?" She smiled sweetly at him, not seeming angry in the slightest.

"Yes sensei." He ducked his head sheepishly and cracked his book open. A note fluttered out onto his desk. _"What the...?"_ He made sure the teacher had already turned her attention back to the lesson before he unfolded the note. He froze._ "A challenge?"_

One excuse later, Kenichi sprinted to the stairwell, and up to the roof to save two guys who probably hated his guts. __

"I hope I'm not too late." He burst through the door and out onto the roof, blinking his eyes to adjust to the change in light. A figure came into focus, a kid being picked up off the ground, Kenichi gritted his teeth. "LET HIM GO!" The two guys from Ragnarok turned at the intrusion._ "Oh great, it's that professional boxer..."_

Something stirred in Kenichi under the blue-haired man's stare, but he smothered it. Now wasn't the time for... Whatever that was! _"I better not have eaten something bad for lunch, or this is really gonna suck..."_

"It's me you want, leave them alone!" He straitened up, trying to look confident.

The bluenette smirked. "See? He showed."

The larger of the two dropped the bully from Kenichi's past and said something, probably a taunt. But the disciple wasn't listening to him, he was focused on the boxer. He told himself that it was because he would be a harder fight. But he didn't really believe it. He had never felt this kind of draw to anyone before, like he could feel his presence. Even the cold look in those brown eyes had some sort of pull on him._ "But that can't be right... I must have eaten something strange. That's all this is."_

The brunette felt the two bullies he had come to save run past him and off the roof without so much as a 'thank you.' The movement snapped him out of his half-daze, and he steeled himself for a fight. _"Two against... well just me. Not that I expected much from them, I just couldn't stand that anyone had been in danger because of me. I hope they don't hate me even more now..." _His shoulders slumped a bit as he realized that bullies had been the closest he had come to male friends at this school._ "But it's not my fault the guys here are such bullies to me! I'm different, I use strength to protect! Not endanger." _He found renewed determination to keep these punks from hurting anyone.

Back in reality, the thrower was still mouthing off, but now he was towering over Kenichi. The thug gripped the small fighter's shirt, and the disciple glared at the man. "There's no reason to use violence!" He knew that they were itching for a fight, but maybe he could convince them otherwise...

The thug- Ukita the Thrower, chuckled. "I could think of a hundred reasons!" All else was lost on Kenichi as he was lifted off the ground.

_"So much for that... wait is he gonna throw me... ON A ROOF!?" _His survival instincts- or fear, whatever- Kicked in and he clung to the muscled neck and what ever else he could reach, making quite a scene for their one man audience.

**...0.0.0**

_ "This is the guy Kisara so determined to fight? He's such a clown... and with that stupid hero act he's got, I give him a month 'till he dies." _Takeda watched Ukita try to buck the kid off, like some rodeo act, and threw his head back to laugh. "Come on man, throw him!" But his laughter died a little as the kid wrapped his legs around the thrower's thick mid section. Something sparked in him. Just a flicker of a flame, and though the street fighter didn't recognize it, they were the beginnings of jealousy and lust.

Then Ukita lost his temper and tried to pin the teen between him and the fence. The spark flickered away as he watched the boy spring up and off, and Ukita rammed himself strait into the fence, ripping and warping the metal. Then the little brat landed, and went back to trying not to fight! But the thrower was beyond pissed now, and charged at him head first. There was some switch that seemed to flip within the brunette, and he grabbed the larger man head, bringing his knee up for a strong blow to the large man's head. Then the switch flipped in him again. The kid seemed shocked by his own actions, even went over to his unconscious opponent to apologize! _"What the hell? Is the guy bipolar?_"

"You realize he's out right?" Brown eyes met as Kenichi looked up at him. "Not to mention you nearly got my friend killed. He could have fallen if that fence hadn't held, and you're gonna have to pay for that."

He reached for his chalk and watch, and Kenichi tensed like he expected a weapon. _"What has he been through that makes him expect a knife?" _Takeda twitched at the unbidden thought. _"Where the hell did that come from? He just fucked up Ukita and I'm curious about his history!? Funny, I don't remember hitting my head." _He shook the ridiculous thought and revealed the items from his pocket. He saw the tension bleed out of the youth, his muscles relaxing. _"But he isn't off his guard."_ Takeda wondered at the perplexing actions of the martial artist before him as he scrapped the chalk along the ground.

Then Kenichi showed an emotion he did expect. Confusion. To him, drawing the boxing ring made him feel like less of a thug. But nobody but Takeda himself understood the action. What did surprise the puncher was that Bambi went along with it.

_"Bambi? I think I'm losing it..."_

It was fitting though. There was something about how Kenichi acted- the feeling that he was still new to more than just the fighting world- that was just so...cute. The small build, brown hair and wide, even innocent, brown eyes complete the picture of a newborn fawn on shaky legs. _"Now I know I've lost it." _

Takeda hopped from foot to foot, limbering up as if he were in the ring again. He explained his rules, imagining instead that the referee was laying down the law for the fight. "I'll even do you a favor, I won't use my left hand." When he put his excuse in place, he chuckled to himself. The shorty's switch was flipped to 'fight' again and the kid charged him, _"Too easy..."_ He easily avoided his punch and landed three of his own, laying the kid out. "And he's down! You getting up, or should I start counting?"

Poor Bambi seemed a bit dazed, struggling to get back up. "One... Two..." The spark was back, but different this time. It was worry. _"Did I hit too hard?"_ Kenichi got to his feet again. "Alright, I was afraid you weren't gonna put up a fight Bambi." The puncher taunted, _"I really was worried for a second there...maybe I should hold back, he's smaller than me after all." _He didn't have time to wonder what the hell was wrong with him before Kenichi was on him again.

The smaller man had a light blush on his cheeks. _"Probably from the heat..."_ He couldn't be reacting to the nickname, right? _"Something tells me I'll be using it a lot. Especially if he turns red like that every time."_

He easily dodged the disciples punches, and recognized the style's patterns. "Looks like someone's been taking Karate lessons. Heh, bring it on." He crooked his finger in a 'come hither' motion. _"Let's see just what this guy can do."_

"You've got it." He followed up his words with a few high kicks, but once again he didn't touch Takeda.

"You've got enthusiasm, Bambi, but no grace or skill to back it up." He stepped back and let his little fawn catch his breath for a moment. _"Mine? No way... the heat must be getting to me to... I've gotta quit fooling around. The sooner I end this, the better it'll be for the kid in the end." _He slid around Kenichi and hit him with another three fast ones. Kenichi hit the ground hard, knees buckling beneath him. "Down again, Bambi. One more and it's over."He watched the teen struggle to get back up. "Don't worry about it, you tried your best, even if it was for those pathetic friends of yours! You just weren't ready to face a boxer."

_ "Why won't he just give it up?"_

Takeda realized he had made a mistake when he saw the Switch. **(A/N: It's official now, he has a Switch.)** Kenichi lunged, but instead of punching, this time he sent a bruising kick to the bluenette's knees. He winced, and the disciple faked him out, landing another hard kick to the same leg. _"What the hell!? Was this kid really just acting like an newbie to mess with me!?"_

The boxer managed to block the next attack and hit him in the jaw with a single punch. But this time, Kenichi stayed on his feet using his lower body strength. _"Damn it! Where does he learn to fight like this!?" _He cried out as his leg was kicked again, and_ he_ was the one on the ground. He fought to get back to his feet, but before he got it together, Bambi got him in the face. _"This little fawn is kicking my ass..."_ The teen sprinted at Takeda and grabbed his head, bringing up his knee to connect with the older male's temple at a frightening speed. He tensed, expecting Kenichi's knee to connect, but it never did. He realized round one was over. _"Saved by the bell!" _

"You really play by the rules, don't you Bambi?" He backed away on shaking legs. _"Damn it, he's mopping the floor with me! Yet he still hasn't called me out on the nickname... What a strange guy."_

Kenichi sat down in his corner of the chalk ring. "You don't really seem like a thug yourself..." the brunette tried to get his breathing under control. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure kid, go for it." Takeda was kinda curious about what the kid would ask at a time like this.

"Why did you give up boxing for Ragnarok?"

Takeda froze.

**...0.0.0**

Kenichi had been dieing to ask the man this question since he heard he was a legit boxer, and even more so when he met him._ "Takeda doesn't have a gang mentality. He just doesn't. I think he's a good guy under all the act he puts up... he's been smiling this whole time, but it doesn't reach his eyes." _Not to mention the honest interest the teen had in the older man. For some reason, even the nickname that would usually piss him off sent a thrill of pleasure through his system. He liked the idea of the man having a special name for him, that nobody else got to use.  
_  
_But the painted on smile disappeared and the boxer tensed up. "Well fuck man, way to pick the touchy subject. Learn some tact, you'll loose your friends like that."

Kenichi instantly tried to backpedal, "I-I'm really sorry! Forget I mentioned it- I'm not really good with people..." The last he hadn't meant to admit, but it was true. Beyond his family and the dojo, he had never had any friends or love interest... _"Now that I think about it, I've never even held hands with anyone."_ The young disciple looked down to hide his blush. _"God I act weird around Takeda, I feel even more jittery and jumpy than usual... well, at least when he's not punching me in the face."_

"It's fine Bambi, I'll tell you. You're better off without friends anyway. All they'll ever cause you is pain." The boxer had a sad, far off look in his eyes that made Kenichi want to pull him back to the present where he was. "Not to brag, but I had a pretty good future in boxing. Ikashida was my closest friend, we made it as far as we had together. I couldn't of done it without him." The ghost of a smile he had while describing his buddy fell into a frown. "One night he called me on his way to the gym, since we kept a sharp eye on each others health. It sounded like he dropped his phone, and then there was some people shouting about money. I wasn't really sure I should go help him, see, I had a big match the next day, and if I got hurt I'd be screwed. I had a choice between my career and my friend."

Kenichi was leaning forward now completely caught up in the story. He could see it in his head, the panic on Takeda's face as he was faced with such a decision, then the determination when he made his choice. The emotions written on the bluenette's face in the present were so heart-wrenching Kenichi wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him somehow. He was on his feet, and had taken a few hesitant steps forward before he even realized he had moved. His hand extended out into the air between the two, as if to bridge a gap. Takeda seemed to waver forward at the promise of the safe haven Kenichi offered.

"Takeda..." The sound of his own voice seemed foreign to Kenichi. It was desperate, but not in fear. He just felt the overwhelming urge to wipe away the bitter outlook the other man had on his past. He hated that he was so hurt that he still carried that pain with him, a smile painted on his face. _"If he keeps up like this, he'll run himself into the ground. I can't let that happen, not to him!"_ He took another step forward, now only a foot and a half away from the boxer.

The blunette's face exhibited his warring emotions. Since saying his name affected him so strongly, the shorter student tried again. "Takeda." The moment he repeated it, Kenichi's world shrunk down to the man in front of him, and he forgot all about Ragnarok, fighting, even the dojo. All that mattered was Takeda.

Then he was brought crashing back to reality at the sound of the bell. The boxer put his mask back on, and any hint of vulnerability was gone. "Time's up Bambi." Now the use of the nickname stung. The distance between them felt like miles and even as Kenichi's finger's itched to touch the puncher, he knew he had closed himself off completely.

_"But why does that hurt? We're practically strangers, he doesn't have any obligation to tell me anything."_ His chest constricted in protest at that, and Kenichi stumbled back, hand on his heart as if he had been physically stabbed. He half expected to feel blood soaking his shirt.

The older teen started to run at Kenichi. _"To him, I'm just the kid he takes to his boss, or maybe a good fight."_ The invisible weapon twisted, and just like a real wound, the pain seemed to sharpen everything. He snapped out of it, shaking his head. "What about the story?" he couldn't keep the hurt from his voice.

"Can't you put it together?" He punctuated his sentence with a punch. And with that Kenichi pushed all the confusing and foreign emotions to the back of his mind. They were too much and he had no time to think about them.

He flipped his mental Switch and advanced with a few upper kicks before he aimed low again, but this time the boxer was prepared and dodged the attacks. The disciple tried one more high kick, missed, and took three more brutal punches to his torso and face. _"He's still so fast! Wait... Of course!" _Apachai told him that he should judge speed by watching his opponent's shoulder. Using the that knowledge, he avoided the next punch and caught the one after that.

The next punch, however, caught him in the stomach. He doubled over, but stayed on his feet this time. He had Apachai to thank for that.

He decided to try and stall a little. "What happened next? I bet anything you went to help your friend." The younger fighter barely got it out between breaths.

Takeda sprinted at him again, "Just drop it okay!?" The disciple backed up, the boxer's fist punched through the fence beside Kenichi's bruised up body.

"... Of course I went. But it was stupid." The boxer's arms grabbed the fence on either side of Kenichi's face for support and he hung his head, like he was overwhelmingly tired. Kenichi couldn't stop the inappropriate blush that colored his face at the position he was in.

"That cost me my career... I fought by Ikashida's side, but one of the thugs got my left arm with some pipe or something. I missed the match. My career was over. All for a friend." His sentences grew short and choppy as his voice seemed to tighten up with bottled emotions. This time, Kenichi did reach up to brush the side of the taller man's face, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

His heart fluttered when Takeda's eyes slid shut, his head tilting into Kenichi's open hand. _"This... this is what people feel when they like someone isn't it?"_ His heart beat wildly against his rib cage, as if to say _"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" _Kenichi knew that he was supposed to feel shocked or disgusted at liking another male, but when he looked up at Takeda, he felt none of that. He caressed the taller man's cheek with his thumb, and had an overpowering urge to protect the other man from even his own memories.

But the caress startled the boxer and he jerked away, turning his back on the younger male. The warm feeling Kenichi had been floating in froze over, _"Just my luck. I finally like someone and he keeps pushing me away."_ He listened dejectedly as Takeda finished. "Ikashida went on to live out our dreams. He became a professional contender. The next I saw him, he brushed me off like I was a stranger." He growled to himself, his frustration etched into his rigid posture. "Don't you get it Bambi?" He whipped back around to see Kenichi. "I'm the closest thing you've got to a friend, cause I'm trying to show you the truth!" He lunged forward with another punch, sending the boy back into the fence with enough force that he wire felt as if it was imprinting itself into his back.

"It's obvious those bastards who abandoned you don't give a damn about you. So tell me, was it worth it?" Takeda spat the words. he really seemed to hate that the two guys had run off and left Kenichi on his own. Now the disciple knew that it was only because it reminded him of his own past.

_"But he's got it all wrong."_

Kenichi stood up strait. "You're wrong. Those guys actually used to bully me, so they're not my friends." The boxer's forehead creased as he processed the new information. "I came because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any one was hurt because of me. I don't really care if those guys appreciate it or not! You shouldn't give up on everyone because one friend turned on you! Don't shut others out for something they didn't do!" He was yelling by the end, tears pricking at his eyes and a rage boiling in him fro a man he didn't know. _"Some selfish asshat who isn't even here is standing between me and Takeda! It's not fair!"_ He felt like a child stomping his foot and throwing a tantrum because they couldn't have a treat.

"Shut up!" Takeda lunged forward again.

_"But the real point is..."_ Kenichi caught his head and brought his knee up, yelling. "A true friend helps without regrets!" Just before the blow could connect, the puncher broke out of the hold and fell backwards. Right through the fence weakened by the other thug's charge.

Kenichi threw himself half over the edge, catching Takeda's right hand before he could plummet to the ground far below. He clung to the edge with his other arm and one leg, his mind already racing and his heart desperately trying to decide if it wanted to stop or beat out a marathon. "Takeda! Pull yourself up! Use your other hand!" The possibility of the man he had only recently met dieing so quickly was suddenly all too real.

"Damn it Bambi! I can't! I paralyzed it in that fight." Shock whipped through the disciple, panic hot on it's heels. "I didn't quit cause I wanted to, I had no choice!" A look of desperation locked in Takeda's features. "Just- Let me go! If you don't we'll both fall!"

_"Not a chance in hell." _Kenichi breathed deep, calming himself so he didn't waste any energy. Then he used every ounce of strength left in his body to pull the other man up.

The bluenette's eyes widened, half in awe, and half in horror. "What the hell are you doing!? You can't pull me up, just let me go! It's okay! Please Bambi!" But the shorter man ignored him. He saw spots in his vision, and knew he would pass out soon. _"Come on... just a little more..." _He pulled Takeda's good arm over the edge just as his body gave out. He pitched forward, falling over the edge. A large hand gripped the back of his shirt, hauling him back.

A gruff voice reprimanded the two of them. "What the hell is wrong with you two? You trying to get yourselves killed!?" He felt himself get thrown back to safety. It was Ukita. He had forgotten that there was a third person on the roof, his entire being had been focused solely on the boxer. Kenichi still felt like he was listening in to his emotions, even as he was fighting for consciousness. As soon as he saw the surge of relief on Takeda's face, he relaxed, letting the blackness wash over him like a wave.

**...0.0.0**

**Thank you for reading! I hope you like it, because this is SO not a one shot. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, if I did, then there would more than enough sexy boxer to go around! ;)** **I would like to dedicate this chapter to everyone who favorites/ followed my story. Especially the foreigner (No name, sadly) who posted my first ever review, and inspired me to pull an all-nighter working on this this chapter! This is for you, I hope you enjoy!** **Anywho, on with chapter two!**

**...0.0.0**  
**  
** _"I think I just lost at least ten years of my life."_ Takeda rubbed his arm, which had nearly been wrenched out of the socket while he had dangled over the edge, casually explaining to Kenichi that he was a cripple and he should save his own hide. Any rationally thinking person would have panicked and let him plummet to his death.__

His eyes wandered over to the passed out form that should have been too weak to hold him up. _"How the hell did a kid like that save me after kicking my ass?" _He watched the wind disturb the younger boy's hair, a few stray stands brushing his bruised cheek. The haze of emotions and memories that their fight had dredged up was draining away now, and he felt more in control than he had since Kenichi had shown up. Now he had time to nurse his wounded pride. _"I just got my ass handed to me by the nicest fighter- nicest__** guy**__- I've ever met. I'm surprised he didn't offer me a damn Band-Aid during the break. I nicknamed him BAMBI, after a cute, cuddly, forest animal, totally new to the world. I lost to that... I feel like a pathetic excuse for a man..."_

Shadow fell over the boxer, and he looked up at Ukita towering above him, wiping his face with a rag. "I could be wrong, but did I just see the same kid that introduced his knee to my face trying to save your ass?"

_"Wow. Rub salt in the wound big guy, go ahead, be my guest." _Takeda pulled himself to his feet, his bruised up body protesting, further injuring his pride. He forced a light chuckle. "Trying, yeah. I was fine." He studiously ignored the 'bullshit' look that the thrower was sure to be sending him in an attempt to salvage whatever pride he had left, and instead glanced in Kenichi's direction. Just as he saw a bit of movement, the door burst open for the second time that day.

Miu stood framed by the door way, pissed as hell. _"Well, I guess even Bambi can score a hot girlfriend."_ Takeda almost smiled, if it weren't for the twinge of jealousy. Which he ignored. The second she spotted Kenichi, she growled low. His smile vanished, and he realized how bad the situation must look to her. Her boy-toy unconscious, and two thugs still standing. _"What was it that Koga was going on about? A girl built like a model, but she's really... oh __**shit**__."_

He looked up, just as she ran at them, an angry half-yell, half-growl rising from her. He watched her jump into a spin, quickly dispatching Ukita with a roundhouse kick into his face before he could even get a full sentence out.

"Hey! Whoa, hold up girlie!" Her head whipped around to face him, he could see the 'target found' flash in her eyes as she sprinted fearlessly forward. "Oh hell..." He felt the punch that connected with his face more than he saw it, and had the wind knocked out of him just as quickly. _"Holy-"_ A kick to his weakened knees and he collapsed, his head impacted the concrete hard. As the black slowly blocked out his vision, his mind registered one thought. _"She's a motherfucking badass."_

**...0.0.0**

Miu kicked the blue haired man's unconscious body three more times before she spotted movement in the corner of her eye. She turned on her heel prepared to search and destroy, but froze when she realized Kenichi was getting up.

She fell into a crouch by his side checking for serious injuries. "Kenichi! Oh my goodness, are you okay!? What were you thinking, coming up here on your own? You could have DIED!" The worries spilled forth like a damn breaking, her feelings fluctuating between guilt for not coming sooner, anger that he didn't tell her, and more concern. She fretted over him like a mother hen, hands fluttering over his swollen cheek.

Kenichi lightly brushed her hand off and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "It's fine, I just passed out a little. I used the last of my energy to pull Takeda up..." He gasped lightly and scrambled to his feet, frantically looking around. "Where is Takeda!?"

Miu looked on, confused by her friend's actions. "Didn't you guys fight?" she prompted, hoping to get an explanation. She wasn't disappointed.

"Yeah we did, but turns out he's actually a really nice guy and he didn't really want to be a thug and he's got this injury-" His rambling ceased when he caught sight of the bluenette. He clambered over to the boxer's side, mirroring Miu's earlier actions, frantically checking Takeda over.

Miu watched him. How his hand lingered a bit to long on the other man's body, the light blush as he brushed blue bangs out of the older boys face, and how he stayed by his side even after the worry melted away, and he realized Takeda was pretty much fine. A small smile worked it's way onto the blond girl's face, and she pressed her fingertips to her lips to stop a giggle from bubbling out. _"Kenichi has a crush! That's so cuuuuuute~!"_ Before she could tease the young disciple, she stopped herself.

Miu felt like Kenichi was a brother to her, and she knew him well from time shared at the dojo and school. The way he was acting... there was more to this than a crush. She looked closer this time, past the more obvious things to more subtle gestures. It was something in the way Kenichi hesitated before touching Takeda, the softness that came over his features, and how he seemed oblivious to anyone but the man before him.

_"He... doesn't have any confidence, and he seems almost... vulnerable."_ The same intuition that told her Kenichi was crushing now pieced the rest together, and Miu's protective instincts went into overdrive. _"Takeda is Kenichi's first love. I guess that makes sense. Kenichi mentioned he had only been pushed around before... there wasn't much of a chance for friendship, let alone love. But he goes and falls for a thug!? Oh he'll need all the help he can get..."_

Before she could further contemplate the situation, the larger thug stirred, groaning. "Oh god, my head..."

Kenichi helped the now awake boxer to his feet. Miu couldn't help but notice how reluctant the older boy was to accept the hand, and how he avoided looking at the disciple. Kenichi seemed to notice too, confusion and a little hurt flashing across his face before he turned to her. "Miu we should probably take them to Akisame, don't you think?"

She nodded briskly, offering a comforting smile. It was decided, she would help him through this however she could. As soon as they could talk without being overheard, she was going to make sure Kenichi knew he wasn't going through this alone.

**...0.0.0**

"All right, you're all fixed up Kenichi." Akisame motioned for him to take a seat. The disciple stepped past the bed occupied by Ukita, sinking into the second mattress gratefully. He was pretty much fine physically, but emotionally, he was exhausted. _"Lets review today's life changing realizations. One: I'm gay. Okay, thinking about it now, not to much of a shocker..."_ He sighed at that, laying back into fluffy pillows for a moment. _"Two: I like Takeda. A lot. Probably the worst choice ever, seeing as he hits on Miu all the time and not to mention the whole Ragnarok bit. Yeah. Sounds like my luck."_ Akisame was putting up the last of the antiseptics and bandages, taking his dear sweet time._ "Three: If the way she's been watching me and Takeda means anything, Miu knows something. Which could be good. Or a complete disaster. Knowing me, it's the latter."_

"And here's a thought: If I figured out that I like a guy in the middle of getting beat up by him, does that make me a masochist?" He winced as he sat up, _"Nope. No. No way in hell will I ever like pain and humiliation. Ever."_

"Now that Kenichi is patched up and your friend is resting peacefully, I suppose it's your turn." Kenichi straitened, surprised that Akisame would address Takeda. "You must be the boxer I've heard so much about."

Said boxer seemed both cautious and guarded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing serious."

The sensei raised an eyebrow, smiling as if Takeda was a child trying to lie to his elders. "I was talking about your paralyzed left arm."

The bluenette's eyes snapped up to look at Akisame in shock. "But how did you- no one's mentioned it since we got here!" He searched both Miu and Kenichi's expressions, doubting his own words. Both were just as surprised as the boxer though.

"I'm a professional." Akisame quickly grabbed the now-standing boxer's shoulder, squeezing, pushing, and prodding the area. Takeda couldn't stop the sound of pain that escaped as his injury was manhandled. As his sensei rattled off some medical knowledge about the injury, Kenichi got to his feet. The noises that left the older boy's mouth awakened an emotion that the young disciple had never felt before. Though he knew his masters would never hurt anyone without good cause, seeing Takeda being harmed caused an anger in Kenichi that made him see red. He was just about ready to snap at Akisame, when the bluenette beat him to it.

"That's enough!" He yelled, smacking away the offending hand. With his left arm. He froze up and stared at it like it was a foreign object, then looked up at Akisame. "What the hell!? I just moved my left arm!"

The tension rapidly drained out of Kenichi** (A/N: His Switch at work again)**, and he smiled widely, laughing a bit in his relief. Miu also brightened, her own worry washed away. "Your welcome." The martial arts master said as if to call Takeda's attention.

"That wasn't a fluke right? My arm... you can heal it?" Brown eyes filled with hope stared at Akisame like a lifeline.

"Of course, we'll have you back to normal in no time. It's actually a rather simple procedure." Kenichi resisted the urge to face-palm at his teacher's not-so-subtle bragging.

Takeda's hopeful expression became wary, "Do... do you think... I could box again?"

Akisame laughed, "Boxing? Don't be ridiculous." The bluenette slumped and eyes looked to the ground- defeated, and Kenichi felt that unfamiliar rage come over him again. The disciple took half a step forward before he caught himself, digging his fingernails into his palms and screwing his eyes closed in an effort to shut the feeling out.

"When I'm done with you, you'll be able to compete in the world arm wrestling championship!"

Kenichi opened his eyes just in time to see his boxer's face light up like a Christmas tree. "Yes! Finally!" He rejoiced, pumping his right fist into the air, once again the brunette felt himself relax. _"I should probably get this fixed... launching into a bloodthirsty rage whenever a __**boxer**__ gets hurt sounds damn tiring. Another worry for my list."_ With that under control he celebrated with everyone for the next few moments.

Then it was time to actually get it fixed, and Akisame asked Takeda to sit down for the procedure. "And Miu? If you would be so kind as to take Kenichi somewhere else?"

"What? Why!?" The little brunette objected, standing firm.

The elder man merely chuckled, "Well I don't want to have to watch my back every time your new _friend_ here so much as whimpers."

Kenichi's mouth gaped for a moment before he snapped it shut and his cheeks lit up like flames. _"Oh for the love of- they don't miss __**anything**__ do they!?"_ He coughed into his hand to half-cover his blush while he collected himself. "F-fine. I'll leave... but Miu, stay here and cheer him on for me?"

"No problem." She smiled sweetly at him, and he nodded, seeming satisfied. The brunette stood there a moment or two longer, looking at the broad back of his crush, but the older man did not turn around. Since he had lost consciousness, Kenichi wondered if he had imagined any sort of chemistry between them. Takeda had been avoiding looking at the smaller boy, or even so much as speaking directly to him.

Kenichi left with these worries heavy on his mind, wanting nothing more than to collapse in his bed and sleep off this exhaustion.

**...0.0.0**

**And so, I leave this emotional shitstorm for our boys until the next chapter... I'm such a meanie to them. Teehee! :D**


End file.
